Throughout this application, various references are referred to. Disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.
This invention relates to combined extracts and a crude saponin extract from a plant called Wenguanguo and methods of their preparation. The extracts can be used to make medicines or health foods for preventing cerebral aging, improving cerebral functions and curing enuresis, frequent micturition, urinary incontinence, dementia, weak intelligence and Alzheimer""s disease other diseases caused by cerebral dysfunctions.
In recent years there has been a growing interest in finding novel extracts from plants to make medicines or health foods for preventing and curing diseases or improving human health. Using medicinal herbal plants for treating diseases or improving human health has long been a tradition in China. The Chinese herbal plants have been excellent resources for developing these extracts. More and more novel plant extracts have been developed from Chinese medicinal plants, such as Ginseng, Ginkgo, Chongcao and etc (Zhang TCH et al., 2000).
Wenguanguo is a plant that is endemic to China (Zhu YCH et al, 1989), and it has been used as a folk remedy for curing enuresis for a long time (Chen Y et al., 1984; Zhu YCH et al, 1989). However, Wenguanguo has not been fully explored as a potential medicine or health food for preventing cerebral dysfunction and improving cerebral function. In Chinese patents CN1092991A and CN1092992A, a kernel powder made from Wenguanguo seed kernel has been studied and a medicine called Yiniaoting has been developed for the treatment of enuresis. However, the content of the bioactive ingredients Saponin in Yiniaoting is very low and therefore, large dosages are inevitable for effective treatment. Furthermore, the process of making Yiniaoting from Wenguanguo seeds is arduous, costly and complicated. In this invention two novel extracts from the Wenguanguo husks are provided and methods of producing them are developed. These extracts offer improved medicinal effects and lower processing costs.
This invention relates to combined extracts and a crude saponin extract from Wenguanguo husks and methods of their preparation. Both husk extracts have a higher saponin concentration (30-32% or more) compared with the kernel powder (2-4%) and its extracts (10-19%) in previous work. Therefore, the dosage of medicines made from the husk extracts is only 3 capsules or pills per day, compared with kernel powder, which is 18 per day. It is much easier for patients to take, children in particular, and it also greatly reduces patients"" costs.
This invention provides a process of producing the two husk extracts. The cost of producing the two extracts from the husks is much lower due to the much lower cost of purchasing husks and simplified methods.
This invention provides a composition comprising extracts from the husk of Wenguanguo.
The invention also provides a process of producing the combined extract comprises following steps: a) extracting Wenguanguo husks with an organic solvent to form an organic extract; b) removing the organic solvent from the extract to form aqueous extracts; and c) drying and sterilizing the aqueous extracts to form the combined extracts.
This invention provides a crude saponin extract from Wenguanguo husks for preventing cerebral aging, improving cerebral functions and curing enuresis, frequent micturition, urinary incontinence, dementia, weak intelligence and Alzheimer""s disease and other diseases caused by cerebral dysfunctions.
This invention also provides a process of production of crude saponin extract from Wenguanguo husks comprising the steps of:
a) extracting the Wenguanguo husks by alcohol or other organic solvent (methanol and others) at ratio of 1:2 for 4-5 times, 20-35 hours for each time to form alcohol extracts;
b) collecting and refluxing the alcohol extracts for 2-3 times at 80xc2x0 C. to form second extracts;
c) collecting the second extracts and removing said solvent from the extracts to form a combined extract;
d) resolving the combined extracts in water to from an aqueous solution;
e) extracting the solution by n-butanol to form n-butanol extracts;
f) chromatographing the n-butanol extracts to form crude saponin.